


yo la radio y tú mi hit mundial

by rjtondale



Series: éramos solo friends [2]
Category: Feid - Fandom, Lenny Tavárez - Fandom, Music RPF, Reggaeton RPF, Reggaetón Music RPF
Genre: Co-Parenting, F/M, Flash Forward, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Parenthood, Prequel, i don't know how to tag this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25973965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rjtondale/pseuds/rjtondale
Summary: Flashbacks, flash-forwards, and anything else that doesn't quite fit inéramos solo friends.
Relationships: Lenny Tavárez/Feid, Lenny Tavárez/Original Female Character
Series: éramos solo friends [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885225
Kudos: 5





	1. tendré que pensarte justo cuando ando con ella [mar 2022]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapters one & two are Birthday Chapters as part of an unnecessarily large [celebration](https://ferxxocumple.shutterfly.com/) of feid's 28th (19 aug 2020). they're published between chapters twelve & thirteen of [éramos solo friends](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474154/chapters/59069176), but that doesn't really matter. :)

This is Laura’s worst birthday ever.

It’s supposed to be _her_ day. This is her party. But, as always, her boyfriend is the center of attention. The whole room seems to orbit him, the party guests basking in his light. Which leaves Laura in the shadows, in a corner, at her own party.

And as always, his satellite is right beside him, laughing at all his bad jokes and bouncing off his stories with stories of his own. Never one without the other. But shouldn’t it be Laura there at Lenny’s side, instead of Feid?

At least she’s not totally alone. Tiyada is saying something, probably recounting her latest fight with Justin. Laura nods and pretends like she’s been listening.

“And in conclusion,” Tiyada slurs, “men ain’t shit.”

“Amen.” Laura taps her cup against Tiyada’s, but the smell of the alcohol nearly makes her gag. On top of everything, she’s sick on her own birthday.

It’s probably just PMS. She hopes it’s just PMS. Her period is a few days late already, and though she won’t be truly nervous for a few days more, she can’t help but worry a little. She prays it’s just PMS. Lenny is fun, but she can’t raise his kid.

Pregnant or not, she’s too old to care about all this stuff - vodka, house parties, the few pounds she’s gained recently. She should start thinking about more than fun. But so far, twenty-seven doesn’t feel too different from twenty-six, and she’s still pretty sure she’s allowed to be annoyed at her boyfriend.

“Your man in particular,” Tiyada continues as if reading Laura’s mind.

“What about him?”

“I’m just saying. You could do so much better.” She drags out the O in _so_ , then punctuates the last words by jabbing her finger at Laura. “So much better,” she repeats.

“Yeah, right,” Laura says. It comes out sarcastic, but Tiyada has a point. Plenty of men would kill to have her on their arm and in their bed - even if she’s now entering her “late” twenties.

“You could,” Tiyada insists.

Before Laura can say any more, Lenny appears at her side. Feid is still on his heels like a puppy, but Laura ignores him.

“Hey, baby,” Lenny says. He kisses her cheek. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“I’ve been here,” Laura says.

“Come on. You don’t want to come say hello to everyone? Dance, maybe?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Feid raises his eyebrows, and Laura barely suppresses an eye-roll. She doesn’t even know why he’s here. He may be Lenny’s best friend, but this isn’t Lenny’s party. It’s _hers_.

She could tell him to leave, but it’s easier to just be annoyed.

Tiyada, probably sensing trouble brewing, makes some excuse about finding Justin and leaves. _So much for ‘men ain’t shit,’_ Laura thinks.

Lenny takes her spot and tries to put an arm around Laura, but she shrugs him off. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

As if he doesn’t know. He knows she doesn’t like when he leaves her alone, and he knows she doesn’t like Feid, so how can he ask what’s wrong now? Maybe Laura has never directly told him either of those things, but he’s her boyfriend. He should know.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

Except Feid is still standing there. Surely he has other friends here; Laura wills him to wander off and find them. She stares out at the other party guests, hoping that if she doesn’t say anything, he’ll take the hint and leave her alone with Lenny.

Instead, he breaks the silence with some inane comment, and now he and Lenny are laughing together as if Laura isn’t even there. She sips her drink, even though it makes the churning in her stomach worse.

Feid has a certain charm, she supposes. If you like men who make up for their looks by trying too hard to be funny. If leagues apply to friendships, Lenny is out of Feid’s, and Laura will never understand why they ended up so close.

 _So_ close. Uncomfortably close. Close enough that Laura’s brothers once asked whether she and Lenny are in some kind of fucked-up open relationship. She shut that down quickly enough, but it still bothers her.

“Feid,” she says suddenly, interrupting him mid-sentence. He turns to her. “Get the fuck out of here.”

He blinks at her for a moment with eyes wide. He’s almost cute - almost. Then he grins, and it’s gone. “Yeah, no problem. I need a refill, anyway. You kids have fun.”

“The fuck was that?” Lenny demands once he’s out of earshot.

“What do you mean? I’m not allowed a minute with my boyfriend at my own birthday party?”

“Of course you are. You just didn’t have to be so rude about it.”

Laura, sick and pissed-off and hungry, lets her eyes fill with tears. It’s not an intentional move, exactly, but she doesn’t fight it; she knows from a decade of dating older men that tears are the number-one way to win an argument before it begins.

And right on cue, Lenny’s face softens. “Oh, baby. I’m sorry. Come on, don’t cry. Let’s go get some cake or something.”

“I can’t eat cake,” Laura says. She wipes her face delicately, careful not to smudge her perfect makeup. “It’s not in my meal plan.”

But it’s her birthday, so she allows him to lead her across the room to the dessert table. She puts on hand on her stomach to settle it, though that doesn’t help much.

When they pass Feid at the bar, Laura can’t stop herself from shooting him a victorious smile. Not that she’s jealous of him or anything - it’s just nice to secure her place at Lenny’s side again.

Feid takes in the scene, looking from her smile to her hand to Lenny’s arm around her waist. To her surprise, he smiles back and raises his drink in a silent toast. Then he winks, and Laura is left to wonder just how secure her place really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter one title from [cuando se da](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wzbdOAupcg).


	2. è il mio compleanno tutti i giorni [ago 2030]

Something is wrong. Today has been weird. It’s not weird that Papi wasn’t home when Ivy woke up, and it’s not weird that Cucho picked her up from school. But Cucho hasn’t said one single word since Ivy got into the car except for “hi, reina.” Even the music is quieter than usual. Ivy kicks her feet and watches the glitter on her shoelaces sparkle.

“Don’t you want to know what I learned today?” she finally says.

Cucho jumps like she scared him. Maybe he forgot she’s here. “Of course,” he says, but his voice sounds different. “What did you learn?”

Suddenly, Ivy can’t remember one single minute of her school day. She knows they did reading and math and music and then her dance class after school, but none of the details want to come to her brain or go out her mouth. “Um…”

On a regular day, if she couldn’t remember or didn’t want to say, Papi or Cucho would ask her more questions to help her. They always make her say _something_. But today, Cucho doesn’t say anything.

“Are you okay?” Ivy asks.

“I’m fine, mor.”

“No you’re not. You’re not even singing with the radio.”

Cucho laughs a little. “No, I guess I’m not.”

“Are you sad?”

“Ivy, don’t worry about me.”

But that just makes Ivy worry more. She knows grown-ups get sad sometimes, though she’s not really clear on the reasons, and she’s not sure if she’s allowed to ask. She tries to remember what her dads do for her when she’s sad. “Do you want a hug when we get home? Will that make you feel better?”

“I’m sure it will. Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.” He glances at her in the rear-view mirror. He’s already smiling a little.

“You’re welcome.” And then Ivy can’t help but ask, “Why are you sad?”

“Do you know what day it is?” Cucho asks back.

Of course Ivy knows what day it is. She’s a second-grader, not a kindergartener. “Monday, August 19.” Saying it out loud stirs something in her memory… and then it hits her. “Cucho! Happy birthday!”

“Thank you,” Cucho says.

“You’re welcome. Are you sad because I didn’t remember?” Tears fill Ivy’s eyes. She can’t imagine how she’d feel if somebody forgot _her_ birthday. The idea that she might have made her dad sad makes her feel like the worst kid in the whole world.

“Oh, reina, no. No. Not you.” Cucho swallows. “I’m a little sad that your Papi didn’t remember. That’s all. But it’s okay. Birthdays aren’t as important to grown-ups as they are to kids.”

“Birthdays _are_ important,” Ivy insists. Then she remembers what her teacher said last week when Itzel cried about tearing their drawing by accident. “You’re allowed to be sad,” she adds.

“You should be a therapist when you grow up.”

“What’s a therapist?”

Cucho laughs again. Ivy doesn’t know what’s so funny, but at least he’s not all the way sad anymore. “A therapist is a kind of doctor that people go to when they feel really sad,” he says.

“Are you going to a therapist?”

“For Papi forgetting my birthday? No. Besides, I have Dr. Ivy.”

“Dr. Ivy,” Ivy echoes. She likes the sound of that. Maybe tomorrow, if she remembers, she’ll ask her teacher if they can do “therapist” the next time they talk about careers.

“So what should I do, Doc?” Cucho asks.

“Hm.”

Ivy thinks. She’s still going to give him a hug when they get home, but it’s his birthday - they have to do something special, too. With or without Papi. Maybe they can bake a cake… or at least go out for ice cream.

Ivy wishes she had money, even though she’s not really sure what kind of gift a kid is supposed to buy for a grown-up. If she works quickly, she might be able to draw him a good picture before they go to bed. Maybe they can FaceTime with Tía Manuela.

She looks out the window, searching for inspiration. They’re almost home already. Ivy hopes Papi is there, so she can tell him that he made Cucho sad. She’ll make him say he’s sorry, and _then_ they can bake a cake.

She’s still thinking about what they should do when they pull into the garage. Ivy unbuckles her own seat belt, but she has to wait for Cucho to come open the door. When he does, instead of stepping out onto the ground, she launches herself into his arms. He stumbles backward, but catches her.

“You’re almost too big for that,” he laughs.

“Or you’re too old,” she shoots back.

As if to prove he’s not too old, Cucho carries Ivy and her backpack all the way into the building, up the elevator, and down the hall. The whole way, Ivy thinks out loud, listing their options for celebrating his birthday.

He puts her down to unlock the door. When he swings it open, his eyes widen, and Ivy peeks past him to see what’s wrong.

“Surprise!” cries a chorus of voices.

Their apartment is packed with Ivy’s tíos and tías, all smiling big and holding drinks. In the middle of all of them is Papi, smiling the biggest. “You didn’t think I forgot, did you?” he asks. Cucho has his hand over his mouth, but he nods. Papi laughs.

Cucho isn’t moving, so Ivy squeezes past him into the apartment. Itzel is there with their dad, and even though Ivy just saw them an hour ago at school, she runs over and hugs them. Juliana and Zara and the twins are there, too, but she doesn’t hug them. This is already way better than going out for ice cream.

All the grown-ups yell again, and when Ivy looks back at Papi and Cucho, they’re kissing.

“Gross,” Zara says.

Ivy doesn’t think it’s gross, though. It’s just like the end of her favorite princess movies, when the prince and princess - or princess and princess, or prince and prince - finally kiss after a whole movie of adventures. It means they’re in love.

And Cucho definitely doesn’t look sad anymore. Ivy hopes this is his best birthday ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two title from [happy birthday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFOLJwOoorQ).
> 
> feliz cumpleaños, feid. i hope you never see this.


	3. te veía tan enamorado que ni intenté [jan 2024]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter three comes after chapter sixteen of [éramos solo friends](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474154/chapters/59069176), which does matter very much. if you're reading this and haven't read that, uh, spoilers i guess.

2 personas >  
  
Hey  
Salomon (feid)  
hey  
Lenny T.  
Whos this  
Salomon (feid)  
you deleted his number??  
You deleted my number ?  
Lenny T.  
Oh is this flow  
Yeah  
Lenny T.  
Oh  
What do you need  
I don’t need anything. I wanted to apologize.  
Lenny T.  
For  
You know what for  
Salomon (feid)  
not a great start!!!!  
For Ivy’s party  
I don’t have an excuse except that I was surprised. I don’t know if I meant what I said or not but I regret it now anyway. I should be happy you’re happy. Salo you said “we’re the same as we always were” and I didn’t get it but now I do. If you’re still happy, then I’m happy for you. I hope you can forgive me.  
Salomon (feid)  
thank you  
Lenny T.  
Maybe i missed it but i dont see an apology anywhere???  
Salomon (feid)  
lenny  
Lenny T.  
Dont lenny me… If hes going to apologize he needs to do it  
You can do your im light thing or whatever but i want to see it  
Flow you cant pretend we dont exist for 3 months and then come here with that happy for you bullshit. Dalex told us rich is talking about some kind of reunion tour or something idk and if this is about that thats fine but you can at least pretend like your actually sorry  
Salomon (feid)  
lenny call me  
Wait, no  
He’s right  
I’m sorry  
I really am  
It’s not about the tour  
Not entirely  
For three months I’ve been thinking about everything I said and thinking about how shitty it was. I’m sorry for all of it. If this is still too little too late I get it, but I hope it’s not. I’m sorry.  
Lenny T.  
Ok  
Ok ?  
Lenny T.  
Ok ill think about it. Ivy just woke up and i dont have time for this right now  
Salomon (feid)  
flow i’ll call you tonight  
lenny answer your phone  
Ok. Thank you for not blocking me at least.  
Salomon (feid)  
jajajja  
And let me know about the tour...  
**Leído** 2:48 PM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter three title from [sigues con él](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRUjdlCynU0).


	4. estar sin ti me va a matar [feb 2029]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> same night as chapter twenty-one of [éramos solo friends](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474154/chapters/65785258). read that first.

Juan paces his living room. The house is too big, too quiet. He can’t remember the last time he was totally alone here overnight. Maybe when Cíntia and Itzel were in the hospital together in the first days after Itzel was born - but no, his mother was here then, sleeping in his bed while he lay awake on the couch. Maybe he’s never been alone here.

He makes another lap around the room, and this time, a darkness at the end of the hall catches his eye. Itzel’s bedroom door is open. He looks into the yawning black, then looks away. Their nightlight bulb must have gone out. He should close the door.

But that would be worse, somehow. Like he could pretend like his child is sleeping peacefully on the other side. He did that after Cíntia died, imagined she was still there, just around every corner, for months until his therapist managed to talk him down. It’s not healthy, and he knows it.

Besides, Itzel isn’t _gone_ ; they’re at Feid and Lenny’s, barely five miles away. Not just in good hands, but in the best hands. There’s no one he’d trust more with the person who matters the most in his life, except maybe his parents and his sister. They’re good parents to Ivy, and good people in general. Itzel’s fine.

Juan makes another lap.

There’s no point in even trying to sleep. He trusts Feid and Lenny - Feid more than Lenny, though he’d never say that out loud - but something could still happen. Even with his phone volume all the way up, he could miss an important text or phone call. Itzel could have one of their night terrors, or accidentally eat something they’re allergic to, or…

He checks his phone. Nothing. He types out a text to Feid, then deletes it. No news is good news.

In his old life, he would revel in this solitude. It would have been a nice break from the chaos, a rare moment not surrounded by people. Or, if he were on a break between tours, alone and quiet too often, a free night might mean a chance to go out with his friends. Drink a little, dance a little, get out of his own head. If he did that now, he probably wouldn’t even be recognized.

Who would he go out with now, though? He still hasn’t re-formed many of his old ties from that former life. Feid, and by extension Lenny, are the only ones he can think of in town, and obviously they’re both busy tonight. 

Juan glances at his phone again, but there’s nothing there and he doesn’t dig. He could call someone, just to talk, not to go out, but the only name that comes to mind - besides Feid and Lenny - is not someone he wants to think about right now. If he thinks too hard, he’ll call him. He’s already burdened him enough.

Another lap, then another. Juan starts to get dizzy, so he changes direction. Maybe he’ll go take a walk around the neighborhood. But what if he hits a dead spot with no cell reception just as Feid calls to say that Itzel misses him and wants to come home? Unlikely, but possible. Another lap.

This is not right. He takes a deep breath, counts to ten like Feid told him to, tries to inhale calm and exhale anxiety. Feid wasn’t the first to show him that - he doesn’t even meditate, as far as Juan knows - but he doesn’t want to think about that. If he weren’t so worried about missing a call, he’d hide his phone from himself the way he used to before he’d get blackout drunk.

It’s only nine PM. He has to do something. He _has to_. He turns on the TV for background noise, then flips away from Itzel’s cartoons for the first time in months. There’s nothing he wants to watch, but he lands on an old novela, one his sister likes but Cíntia hated, and leaves it there. He turns the volume down low enough that he can hear the actors' voices, but not make out any words. It helps a little, like he’s not completely alone.

Next, he browses his bookshelf. Poetry, parenting books, and dense old novels that a long-ago interior designer insisted would add “intellect” to a long-ago living room. Cíntia’s magical realism and true crime and romance. He picks a poetry book at random and flips to a page in the middle, but the words swim in front of his eyes. He puts it back.

Fuck it. He can’t stand here anymore. He needs to talk to someone.

He scrolls through his contact list, determined not to call the one person he always bothers whenever he feels like this. Feid’s out, Lenny’s out, his mother and father and sister are out. The names blur as he scrolls - he doesn’t even know half of these people, and he’s not close enough with the rest of them for a late-evening chat out of the blue. Former friends, former employees, people he met once and promised to call.

Finally, he collapses onto his sofa. He knew, somehow, that it would end this way. He squeezes his eyes shut and prays - whether for his friend to answer or not to answer, he doesn’t even know. He’ll have to apologize for using him as free therapy again. Maybe he’ll send flowers.

If he even answers. Maybe he won’t. One ring, two, three. The people in the novela are standing around a hospital bed, and he clicks the TV off. Another ring. He should just hang up. This was -

“Hello?”

“Jose?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter four title from [ansiedad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UDJR2uGJog).


	5. tu risa dibuja siluetas [oct 2032]

“No!” Itzel screams. They squeeze Ivy’s arm so tightly her fingers start to go numb. They’re taller than Ivy by like three inches already, but they hide behind her as if she’ll be able to protect them from the monster.

“You don’t scare me,” Ivy declares, even though it isn’t true. She is scared, but Itzel is more, so Ivy has to be brave.

The monster pauses. It cocks its head like a puppy. Itzel looks up warily as the monster glances past them at the adults, who are barely suppressing laughter. A new wave of fear passes over Ivy — or not fear, but maybe anxiety. Something bad is about to happen.

As soon as the thought crosses her mind, the monster snaps back to life. It raises its arms, and Ivy suddenly realizes that it has large knives in both hands. It stretches its mouth wide, impossibly wide, and lets out a roar louder than anything Ivy has ever heard before.

Itzel screams again, and this time Ivy is screaming too. Clinging to each other, they sprint past the monster and out of the room, the adults close behind them.

“It’s just a person,” Ivy says as they pause to catch their breath. It’s what Cucho said on the way here, and what Papi repeated as they first went into the house. She’s pretty sure Itzel already knows it, too, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded again.

“They’re not even allowed to touch us, remember?” Tío Jose says. He looks scared, too, though. He’s holding Tío Juan’s hand really tight.

Itzel nods and wipes away a tear. “I don’t want to go first anymore,” they say.

“We’ll go first,” Papi says. Cucho raises his eyebrows, and Papi looks at him. “What’s that look for?”

“Nothing! Nothing.” Cucho holds up his hands. “We’ll go first.”

The next part of the house is a long hallway, mostly dark with a few dim red lights. It looks quiet. It’s creepy, but not too scary — it must be a little break before they get to the next room. Still, they move forward slowly, first Papi and Cucho, then Ivy and Itzel, and finally Tíos Juan and Jose. 

“Nervous, Lenny?” Tío Juan calls from the back of the line.

Papi turns back to glare at him, but before he can say anything, a hand reaches out from the wall. Ivy tries to warn him, but her lungs feel frozen. By the time she manages to point at the hand, it’s already wrapping its fingers around Papi’s arm.

Papi makes a sound that Ivy has never heard from him before and practically leaps into Cucho’s arms. “I thought they couldn’t touch us!”

“Ivy!” Itzel shrieks. Another arm is coming out from the other side of the wall, grasping for Itzel. Ivy’s heart is in her throat. She grabs her best friend and pulls them away from the hand, huddling as close to the middle of the hallway as she can manage. The lights overhead flicker.

Behind them, Tío Juan is laughing. That makes Ivy feel better. _They’re just people._ So maybe Tío Jose was wrong about whether they can touch them, but they’re still just people.

Really scary people.

“Go, Papi! Cucho, move!” Ivy yells. The faster they walk, the sooner they can get out of here. As they pass the hand that touched Papi, Ivy says, “You’re not scary.” It doesn’t come out quite as strongly as she wants.

The next room is small. _Really_ small. It’s like a closet, and it doesn’t even have a door except the one they came in from the hallway. Ivy presses close to Papi, and Itzel presses close to Ivy. Tío Juan’s hand is on Ivy’s shoulder — and yes, she did check to make sure it was his. She’s not taking any chances after that hallway.

“Are we stuck?” Itzel asks in a small voice.

“I don’t think so,” Cucho says. He touches the wall in front of him with the hand that isn’t holding Papi’s. Nothing moves. 

Suddenly, a creepy song starts playing. The melody is kind of pretty, but some of the notes are out of tune and it’s in the wrong key. Itzel holds Ivy tighter. Everyone looks around.

Then Tío Juan says, “Hey, Lenny.”

They all turn to him. Smiling, he points straight up at the ceiling. Ivy follows his gaze up, and so do Papi, Cucho, and Tío Jose. Itzel buries their face in Ivy’s shoulder, and when Ivy sees what Tío Juan is pointing at, she thinks Itzel might be the only smart one among them.

Grinning down at them is a clown. Or maybe it’s a demon pretending to be a clown — it has dark eyes and sharp teeth, and it _definitely_ doesn’t look like “just a person.”

Cucho says a bad word, then immediately covers his own mouth. Tío Jose says “nope” and moves closer to Tío Juan. Ivy is too scared to react at all; like in the hallway, she feels frozen.

But this time, both Tío Juan and Papi are laughing, Papi like he can’t believe it and Tío Juan like it’s actually funny. Itzel looks at their dad, and Ivy looks at hers. Papi is covering his face now, his shoulders shaking. Cucho catches it, too, and a moment later he’s laughing too.

Ivy wonders whether they’ve forgotten the demon-clown over their heads. They’ve already established that these “people” are allowed to touch them; there’s a chance now that this one will actually eat them. This must be some sort of grown-up joke that she doesn’t understand.

And then the demon-clown laughs, too, and it’s maybe the scariest laugh Ivy has ever heard — a high-pitched giggle that almost hurts. She’d cover her ears if Itzel didn’t have one of her arms pinned to her side.

Ivy doesn’t want to look up at the clown again. She _really_ doesn’t want to. But it’s like her eyes are attached to a string and the other end is on the ceiling. When she raises her eyes, the clown is looking directly at her. It giggles again, showing every single one of its sharp teeth.

Finally, Ivy screams. Even Tío Juan’s laugh isn’t enough to help now. They’re trapped in this tiny closet, too close together, not enough room to breathe, and this creature who is for sure not a person is going to come down and kill them any second now if they don’t go.

As if triggered by her scream, the solid wall to their right slides open. They stumble through it, Ivy and Itzel first again, then all the adults behind them. It opens up into a much bigger room, where ghosts drift aimlessly around furniture covered in dusty sheets. One of the ghosts turns to look at them, then another, then another.

“Nope,” Tío Juan says, his hand on Ivy’s back again. He pushes her and Itzel forward. “No ghosts. Nope. Go, go.”

They hurry through that room, then more or less run through the rest of the house. Nothing is as scary as the clown, but whenever something gets to be almost too much, Ivy looks back at Tío Juan. In every room except the ghosts, he smiles and laughs like this is a puppet show instead of a haunted house.

And even in the scariest parts, Ivy has to admit that seeing Papi scared is pretty funny, too.

Finally, they come out into the garden, and the bright lights of the parking lot prove they’re safe. “We survived!” Cucho says. He and Tío Jose high-five.

Itzel, still sniffling and wiping tears, loosens their hold on Ivy’s arm. “Can we go again?”

In the car on the way home, Papi glances at Ivy in the rear-view mirror. “What was the scariest part?” he asks.

Ivy doesn’t even have to think about it. “The clown,” she says.

“Your papi dressed up as a clown for Halloween one year before you were born,” Cucho says. Papi sighs. “Or… it was two years, wasn’t it?”

“Really?” Ivy says.

“Yeah. I’ll show you some pictures when we get home. He was a lot less scary than the one in the house.”

“Says you,” Papi counters. He reaches for Cucho, but Cucho grabs his hand and kisses it.

Now, in the warm, safe car, with her dads in front of her teasing each other and kissing, the haunted house doesn’t seem so bad. They really were just people — now that Ivy thinks back on it, she’s pretty sure the clown-demon’s razor teeth were made of plastic. And either way, she made it through; tonight, she’ll be in her own bed listening to the ocean, and all the scary people will still be in their creepy old house. _You’re not scary_ , she says to them in her head.

Still. She may be almost _double-digits_ years old, but tomorrow is Halloween. Maybe Papi and Cucho won’t mind if she sleeps in their bed just one more night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter five title from [fantasma](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cJoKFf8rOA).


	6. yo estoy para ti, como un niño con el dulce [oct 2024]

“Don’t want princess!”

Dalex sighs through his nose. He centers himself, because if he doesn’t, he’ll snap the tiara in half, and then no one will be happy. “You wanted to be a princess this morning,” he says as gently as he can manage.

“No!” Zara pushes the dress away. She plops down onto the floor in front of Dalex. “No.”

“Okay… what do you want to be instead?”

“No,” Zara repeats.

Dalex raises his eyebrows. “You don’t want to go trick-or-treating?”

“We’re not going trick-or-treating?” Yza asks, her voice tinged with a whine. The eight-year-old hasn’t been _the baby_ in two years, but she can still play the part perfectly.

“Yes, we are,” Patricia says from the other room.

“We are,” Dalex confirms. “Your sister just has to put on her costume.” He looks his daughter up and down. “And so do you.”

“I have my costume on,” Yza says.

“Didn’t you wear that to school last week?”

“No.” Yza looks down. “Maybe. I’m a unicorn.”

“Horn,” Zara says, pointing at Yza’s horn-less forehead.

“Good point,” Dalex says. “Where’s your horn?”

Yza pats her head, then turns toward the door. “Mami! Where’s my horn?”

“Get your brother to help you look for it!”

“Which one?”

“Doesn’t matter!”

“Not it,” Máximo yells from somewhere else in the house. Bad luck for Janlex — he probably has his headphones in, if he’s even still home. Dalex heard the garage door about ten minutes ago, which means Yare’s probably gone; her brand-new driver’s license is already getting plenty of use. He suspects she’s already teaching fourteen-year-old Janlex to drive, too, but he doesn’t have the energy to lecture them about it.

That also means that Patricia is most likely handling the twins by herself. Dalex turns back to Zara. At four, she still throws tantrums worse than the older kids did at two, but if Patricia can dress both babies single-handedly, he can talk Z into a princess dress. He glances at his watch; five minutes til Lenny, Feid, and Ivy arrive. He turns back to Zara.

“Okay. No princess. That’s fine. What about…” He scans the room, desperate for ideas. He can’t even remember what they dressed her as last year. Sixteen Halloweens are starting to run together. What else can they do with a princess dress? “A… fairy?”

“No,” Zara says.

He looks around again, and this time his eyes land on a red blanket at the foot of Zara’s bed. “What about a superhero?”

“No,” Zara says.

“Help me out here, Z,” Dalex says. “You have to put on a costume if you want candy. Do you want to be a unicorn, like Yza?”

Zara doesn’t even dignify that with an answer. She just shakes her head.

Suddenly, Janlex appears in the doorway, his headphones around his neck. “Papi, where’s Yza’s horn?” 

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen it. You’re supposed to be helping her look for it.”

“I am helping. This is me helping.”

Before Dalex can respond, Cristina starts crying, which sets Carina off a beat later. Janlex sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, and Dalex feels a twinge of guilt. He and Yare, and even ten-year-old Max, are way too grown-up sometimes. On especially chaotic days like today, Dalex wonders whether it was a good idea for his three to come live with him and Patricia instead of with their mother.

But then Janlex looks at Zara and his whole face softens. “She doesn’t want to dress up?”

“Nope. Vetoed the princess, a fairy, a superhero…”

“Here.” Janlex comes into the room, pulls the sheet off Zara’s bed, and drops it over her head. She squeaks a single-syllable protest, then giggles when Janlex pats her on the head. “Now she’s a ghost.”

“Can’t see,” Zara says.

Janlex shrugs. “No problem. We’ll cut some holes in it.”

“Not in that one,” Dalex says immediately. Besides the fact that the sheet is pale pink and covered with a ballerina print, he knows Patricia will flip if they cut up something that actually belongs on the kids’ beds. They’ll find another one.

While Dalex cuts careful holes in an old white sheet — and while Janlex and Yza keep searching for the unicorn horn — the doorbell rings. A second later, the front door opens. In another second, Feid and Lenny are at Dalex’s side, Ivy in Lenny’s arms.

“Hey, sorry,” Feid says, “the door was open, and we figured you might have your hands full.”

“Little bit,” Dalex says.

“Ghost,” Zara declares.

Feid and Lenny both nod. Lenny says, “I can see that,” and it comes out with a slight lisp. He grins, showing off a set of plastic vampire teeth. Ivy, dressed all in green, tugs at the cape tied around Lenny’s neck. Feid looks normal.

“What are you supposed to be?” Dalex asks him.

Instead of answering, Feid starts unbuttoning his shirt. Dalex quickly throws the sheet over Zara’s head again, and Feid rolls his eyes. Under his black button-down is a red-and-blue t-shirt. “I’m Clark Kent,” he says, as if it isn’t obvious.

“Traitor,” Lenny says. It comes out like _twaido_.

“And poison ivy,” Dalex says, nodding at her.

Lenny doesn’t try to speak again, but he does smile and set a plastic tiara almost identical to Zara’s on Ivy’s head. Ivy grabs for it, but Lenny holds in it place.

“Ivy Queen,” Dalex amends. “Nice.”

Patricia joins them in the kitchen, a Salt baby on one hip and a Pepper baby on the other, with a unicorn and a teenager trailing behind. “Have you seen Max?” she asks.

“I heard him earlier,” Dalex says.

“I’m here!” Máximo says. He strides into the kitchen with his chest puffed out. He’s wearing a plain t-shirt and black jeans. He looks almost normal, except that almost every visible inch of skin is covered in marker.

Dalex opens his mouth to say something, but his wife beats him to it. “What am I looking at here?”

Max folds his arms and furrows his brow. “You can’t tell?” All the adults shake their heads. He frowns and fluffs up his hair. In addition to the scribbles on his arms, he’s wearing rings on every finger and a too-big watch that’s probably Janlex’s. “Papi,” he finally says, “I’m you!”

A beat passes. Then everyone in the room, the babies included, burst into laughter. Max straightens up again, proud. Dalex is laughing, too, but his chest feels warm, and he thinks that if he stops laughing, he might start crying instead.

Luckily, as the laughter dies down, Zara comes to his rescue. “Candy?” she asks. Her voice is muffled under the sheet.

“Candy,” Dalex confirms. He does a quick head-count, then nods. “Everyone have their bags? Okay. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter six title from [curiosidad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6jEcV_gnYA).


	7. desde que te fuiste no pienso en ti [ago 2030]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> between chapters twenty-five and twenty-six of éramos solo friends. this is important.

2 People  
  
TIYADA💖  
Y’all okay?  
whaaaaaat the fuck  
TIYADA💖  
Come over, i have vodka  
Nic✨  
what happened  
you didnt see feids post?  
Nic✨  
oh lol i think i still have him blocked on everything. hang on  
UM WHAT THE FUCK  
AM I READING THIS CORRECTLY  
💍 ??????????  
like?? to each other???  
RIGHT  
im calling lenny  
TIYADA💖  
DO NOT  
Nic✨  
do not!!!!  
wait have they been together a long time?  
their raising my kid  
Nic✨  
…….. what  
TIYADA💖  
Girl where have you been  
Nic✨  
italy  
TIYADA💖  
Do they not have American news in Italy?  
Nic✨  
so laura definitely shouldn’t call lenny right  
TIYADA💖  
RIGHT  
i just want to say congrats  
Nic✨  
bullshit  
TIYADA💖  
Bull! Shit!  
Nic✨  
🗣  
ok wait but were you serious about the kid?  
is that who i’m seeing in these posts?  
she kinda looks like you  
mostly like lenny tho  
she’s cute  
TIYADA💖  
Nicole shut up  
yeah shes mine & his but like  
i cant have a kid  
he was the one who “““didnt like condoms”””” so  
so now i guess shes like 8 & shes been living with lenny & feid. seems like they’re doing fine  
Nic✨  
you’re like…. okay? you don’t ever see her?  
why  
Nic✨  
because she’s your daughter???  
why are we even talking about this. tiyada “yall okay” what the fuck why would we not be. its been like forever. justin got married too are you okay  
TIYADA💖  
That’s not what I meant. I was just surprised  
But actually Nicky has a point — you never miss Ivy?  
i dont even know her  
fuck yall anway. you sound like my mom trying to guilt trip me about grandkids. im living my life and i guess their little family is happy and i dont care  
thanks for the invite t but i have my own vodka  
Nic✨  
okay, i’m sorry baby  
TIYADA💖  
Me too  
Love you  
Nic✨  
love you 💖 💚 💞 💞 💙  
TIYADA💖  
And DO NOT CALL LENNY  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter seven title from [es muy tarde](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6lAwGCKfPo).


	8. tu peor error fue confiar en tu amigo fiel [sep 2023]

After nearly a month back in Dallas, the Miami humidity is suffocating. Sebastian wipes his forehead with the back of his hand, but it doesn’t help. He should be used to it — but then again, he hasn’t been away for this long in years. He calls Feid again. No answer.

That’s okay. He still has his key, and Feid already said he could crash on the couch for a day or two while he works on getting his own apartment back. And, well, the Uber driver just left, and Sebas is looking up at Feid’s building. It’s fine.

Even the elevator up to Feid’s condo is hot. Sebas shrugs off his backpack and sets it on top of his suitcase. That doesn’t help much, either. Texas is hot, too, but at least the air there doesn’t feel like it’s trying to drown you.

He calls Feid again on his way down the hall. He wishes he had Lenny’s number; he knows Lenny and his baby — what was her name again? — are staying in the spare bedroom that used to sometimes be Sebastian’s. Feid’s not answering, but maybe Lenny would.

If Feid’s not answering his phone, he’s probably not home. Sebas hesitates only a second before sticking his key in the lock. He and Feid have been friends since they were kids, since long before he was _Feid_ , so even if he’s asleep or in the shower or whatever, it’s not like Sebas will see anything he hasn’t before. 

“Hello!” Sebas calls as he steps inside. He turns around to lift his suitcase over the welcome mat. 

“Oh, shit,” someone says.

Sebas turns back around, then freezes. He blinks a couple of times, not quite sure if he can trust his own eyes. Maybe he’s hallucinating from heatstroke. Maybe he’s dreaming.

Feid and Lenny are on the couch. Feid and Lenny are _together_ on the couch, frantically trying to untangle their limbs and put an appropriate distance between their bodies. Both are shirtless, Lenny’s pants undone.

“Um” is all Sebas can say.

A minute later, they’re all sitting at the kitchen table. Feid and Lenny won’t make eye contact with Sebas or each other. They seem to be waiting for him to speak or to ask a question.

He has a thousand questions, how why _when_ , but what comes out is, “Explain.”

They do, haltingly, taking turns, correcting each other on timeline and reminding each other of details. It’s only been a month or so, they say, but they sound like they’ve been married for years. Lenny showed up on Feid’s doorstep with an infant, and the rest is history. They’re “taking it slow.”

Sebas can’t say he’s entirely surprised. He doesn’t know Lenny super well, but he knows how Feid talks about him, how close they’ve always been together. If Sebas were a jealous guy, he might have been worried about losing his “best friend” spot.

Well. At least that isn’t a concern anymore.

When Sebas tunes back in to what Feid and Lenny are saying, they both look deadly-serious. Sebas tries not to look startled; yes, of course he’s been listening to them all this time. What were they saying, again?

“You _cannot_ tell anyone, Sebas,” Feid says.

He almost makes a joke, but the look on Feid’s face kills it on his tongue. “I won’t,” he says instead.

“Nothing,” Lenny says. “Not even a hint. No jokes, no pointed looks, nothing. Please.”

“We’ll tell everyone when we’re… ready,” Feid says, glancing at Lenny. Lenny nods.

“I already said I won’t,” Sebas says.

Suddenly he wants nothing more than an end to this conversation. He doesn’t really want to think about the two of them together — _together_ together, like they were when he walked in. Not because they’re gay or whatever, but because he doesn’t want to think about any of his friends like that.

“Good,” Feid says, and Lenny echoes, “Good.”

“So…” Sebas looks around. The baby is asleep in the other room. His suitcase is still where he dropped it by the door, his backpack slung across it. “I guess there is a spare bedroom after all, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter eight title from [por contarle los secretos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMmFAw19yO0).


	9. no te quiero ver en la disco reclamándole [nov 2032]

2 People  
  
tíos can i ask you a question ?   
i got your numbers from my parents phones sorry  
Tío Lenny  
Yare did you change your number?  
not yare  
can i ask my question before i tell you who i am ?  
tío feid do you have my number saved ?  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
no mor, sorry  
ok good  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
Whats the question?  
well  
i’m a girl, and i have a girlfriend. we want to live together next year for school but my parents think we’re just best friends. like they don’t know we’re dating  
Tío Lenny  
Oh no  
i want to tell them but idk. one parent i think will be ok. the other idk. I know they love me but they’ve said some stuff about gay people thats not right.  
and i know they’re old (sorry no offense) but doesnt that just mean they’ve had more time to learn ?  
wait that’s not my question  
my question is should i tell my parents or just let them think we’re best friends?  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
ruby  
:)  
Tío Lenny  
Oh  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
you should tell your dad, reina. he loves you. you’re his whole world. he’ll love you no matter what.  
he said some bad stuff about you guys though. and your friends  
*you’re  
Tío Lenny  
Well…  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
lenny  
yes we are  
he apologized  
Tío Lenny  
And apologized and apologized and apologized…  
??  
Tío Lenny  
Every time he says something “bad” he apologizes. And then says something else  
Feids right he’ll love you no matter what but if you want to say your just friends then i get it and it’s not the worst lie.  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
he’s learning, though. He speaks before he thinks sometimes — i think all 3 of us do that  
jajajaja  
Tío Lenny  
Not me!  
JAJAJAJA  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
you shouldn’t lie to your parents. i don’t know your mom too well but if you think she’ll take it better, tell her first  
or my gf & i could just kiss at a party like you two did 👀  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
jajajjjaja  
Tío Lenny  
Oh yeah your dad would love that  
mm ok maybe not  
i’ll think about it anyway. thank you 💖  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
let us know how it goes ok?  
can i come live with you if it’s bad ?  
Tío Lenny  
Sure you can help ivy with math  
nvm i’ll crash at yare’s ✌  
i love you  
Tío SaloFeidFerxxo  
love you too reina 💕  
Tío Lenny  
💙 💙 💙  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter nine title from [miss lonely](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p3WP9OQZDA).

**Author's Note:**

> work title from [dime cuantas veces remix](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c48y8nkeVFA).


End file.
